usurer

English

Etymology

Anglo-Norman, from Old French usurier, Latin ūsūra (“interest”).

Compare usurper and use

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈjuːʒəɹə/, /ˈjuːzjəɹə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈjuːʒəɹəɹ/, /ˈjuːʒɹəɹ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

usurer (plural usurers)

1. A person who loans money to others and charges interest, particularly at an exorbitant, exploitative, or illegal rate.
   • 1593, Thomas Nash, Christs Teares Over Iervsalem. Whereunto is annexed a comparatiue admonition to London.‎^[1], London: Thomas Thorp, published 1613, →OCLC, page 105; republished as Christ's Tears Over Jerusalem: Whereunto is Annexed A comparative Admonition to London, 1815, page 97:

     Vſurers, you are none of theſe cryers vnto God, but thoſe that hourely vnto God are most cryde out againſt. God hath cryde out vnto you by his Preachers, GOD hath cride out vnto you by the poore ; Pryſoners on their death-beds haue cride out of you : and when they haue had but one houre to interceſſionate for their ſoules, and ſue out the pardon of their numberleſſe ſins, the whole of that howre (ſauing one minute, when in two words they cryde for mercy,) haue they ſpent, in crying for vengeance againſt you.

   • 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 4”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

     Profitless usurer, why dost thou use
     So great a sum of sums, yet canst not live?

   • 1936 June 30, Margaret Mitchell, chapter XLIII, in Gone with the Wind, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, 1944, →OCLC:

     "You can go to the Carpetbag usurers if you want money."

Synonyms

• banker, loan shark

Hyponyms

• saraf (early modern Middle East & India), shroff (early modern India & SE Asia)

Related terms

• usuress (rare)
• usurial
• usurious
• usury

Translations

one who loans money at exorbitant interest rates

• Armenian: վաշխառու (hy) (vašxaṙu)
• Azerbaijani: müamiləçi, sələmçi
• Belarusian: ліхвя́р m (lixvjár), ліхвя́рка f (lixvjárka), працэ́нтшчык m (pracéntščyk), працэ́нтшчыца f (pracéntščyca)
• Bulgarian: лихва́р (bg) f (lihvár), лихва́рка f (lihvárka)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 高利貸／高利贷 (zh) (gāolìdài)

• Czech: lichvář (cs) m, lichvářka f, úžerník (cs) m (dated)
• Danish: ågerkarl c
• Dutch: woekeraar (nl) m, woekeraarster (nl) f
• Esperanto: (♂♀) uzuranto, (explicitly ♂) viruzuranto, (♀) uzurantino, (♂♀) uzuristo, (explicitly ♂) viruzuristo, (♀) uzuristino, (♂♀) uzurulo, (explicitly ♂) viruzurulo, (♀) uzurulino, (♂♀) procentegisto, (explicitly ♂) virprocentegisto, (♀) procentegistino, (♂♀) procentegulo, (explicitly ♂) virprocentegulo, (♀) procentegulino
• Finnish: koronkiskuri (fi)
• French: usurier (fr) m, usurière (fr) f
• Galician: usureiro m, usureira f
• Georgian: მევახშე (mevaxše)
• German: Wucherer (de) m, Wucherin (de) f, Kredithai (de) m, Zinswucherer m
• Greek: τοκογλύφος (el) m or f (tokoglýfos)
• Hungarian: uzsorás (hu)
• Indonesian: rentenir (id)
• Italian: usuraio (it) m, usuraia f, strozzino (it) m, strozzina (it) f
• Japanese: 高利貸し (ja) (こうりがし, kōrigashi)
• Korean: 고리대금업자(高利貸金業者) (goridaegeumeopja)
• Latin: toculiō m, danista m
• Macedonian: лихвар m (lihvar), лихварка f (lihvarka)
• Maori: kaiwhakatuputupu moni
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ågerkar (no) m, ågerkarl m

  Nynorsk: ågerkar m

• Ottoman Turkish: فائضجی (faʼizci)
• Polish: lichwiarz (pl) m, lichwiarka f
• Portuguese: usurário (pt) m, usureiro m, agiota (pt) m or f
• Romanian: cămătar (ro) m, cămătăreasă (ro) f, uzurar (ro) m (dated)
• Russian: ростовщи́к (ru) m (rostovščík), ростовщи́ца (ru) f (rostovščíca), (dated) проце́нтщик (ru) m (procéntščik), проце́нтщица (ru) f (procéntščica)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ли̏хва̄р m, ли̏хварица f

  Roman: lȉhvār (sh) m, lȉhvarica (sh) f

• Slovak: úžerník m, úžerníčka f
• Slovene: oderuh (sl) m, oderuhinja f
• Spanish: usurero (es) m, usurera (es) f
• Swedish: ockrare (sv) c
• Tagalog: buwayang-lubog, buwaya sa katihan
• Turkish: tefeci (tr), (obsolete) murabahacı (tr)
• Ukrainian: лихва́р m (lyxvár), лихва́рка f (lyxvárka)
• Volapük: (♂♀) vukan (vo), (♂) hivukan, (♀) jivukan

Anagrams

• rusure

Middle English

Noun

usurer

1. Alternative form of usurere

Swedish

Noun

usurer

1. indefinite plural of usur